Motors, such as electric motors, are typically designed to convert one particular type of energy into useful mechanical energy and may be employed to assist with any of a number of operations. Such devices may be employed with, for example, household appliances, power tools, turbines, pumps, machine tools, and many other devices for many other applications.
A motor output often needs to be adjusted for a given application. Thus, a gearbox or transmission may be used to transmit, adjust, or convert the speed, torque, and sometimes the direction of a motor output for use with a given device or application. More particularly, the output of a gearbox may rotate at a slower or faster rate than the input, and such a rotational change is accompanied by a corresponding increase or reduction in torque.
To provide effective and reliable adjustment of the motor output, gearboxes typically are designed to be durable. Such durability, however, can make the gearboxes bulky and awkward, especially for certain applications. Further, because gearboxes are used for such a wide variety of disparate applications, a gearbox suited for one application may not be interchangeable with or easily adaptable to a different application. Thus, a desired gearbox may not be readily available for a specific application.
By way of one example, barrier movement operators, which provide secure access to buildings or areas, generally comprise power and control systems for responding to operator inputs and sensed conditions. Operators thereby move barriers, such as garage doors or sliding gates, between open and closed positions. Various systems for operating and controlling movable barriers have been employed.
In some barrier installations, the barriers are quite large and heavy, thereby requiring significant energy to move the barrier from its respective open and closed positions. In other barrier installations, the barriers may be lightweight and/or small. Nonetheless, such barriers are often installed in structures that lack much extra space for the power and control systems. Thus, a gearbox with the ability to produce high conversion ratios in a very compact space is needed to produce high torque applications in a small space.